Last week’s episode ended with youngest son Hakeem being kidnapped at the end of the episode. When you take a deep look at the scene in which Hakeem is kidnapped, you see darkness versus evil in the physical. Hakeem’s kidnapping happened in bright sunshine. Sunshine is associated with enlightenment and spiritual purity. The scene was drenched in bright sunlight. Hakeem was pulled out of the light and taken to the darkness. On the show, Hakeem is depicted as being youthful, strong and quick. All those things did not save him from being placed in peril. How often do we equate happiness with being 100% right in the world? It is in those moments of pure happiness that we stray from the straight and narrow and figure nothing can happen wrong. Hakeem gets away from his captors but they etch the longhorn scars on his back. Thoroughly emasculating him and stealing his will and branding him with darkness.

Evil will face you down and mock you no matter your covering.

Hakeem’s struggle with his captors was a face to face battle with evil. After Hakeem shrugged his hood from his head , he entered the light and was able to recognize evil. Evil was represented by the Horse tattoos on their backs. Horns carved in red is symbolic of evil or demonic presence. Hakeem had always stood firmly behind his covering. His covering was his Lyon name. This is proof that no matter how saved you may think you are, you can be tempted taken and destroyed by evil if you are callous in your walk. Hakeem believed that covering made him untouchable by evil. The blinding hit with the pistol was the wake up call that we are not safe in the physical and life’s demons can injure you. These injuries are reflected in the evils of racism, sexism, violence and family strife. These hits make us dizzy and can knock us down to our knees.

Source: Empire / Season 2

The strength of the Trinity can comfort you.

Hakeem is attacked by the injury of the hit, which if you looked careful gave him leave of his senses. His leaving of his senses with the static and feedback in his mind is what happens when we become distracted by sin. We no longer hear the correct things, unless we rely on the father, son and spirit. In Empire, we saw his brothers unite in an enclosed circle of three. The centering of the three to Hakeem gave him relief. The camera filmed from the ground looking up into the closed circle.

Good can see evil and will fight to conquer it.

When Hakeem took the stage to perform, the feedback if evil came back but good, represented by Laura, saw Hakeem struggle and refocused him. Good called him through the fog of sin and darkness . When we do something evil or stray off the road of righteous living we meet those who hold us accountable and will call us out. Often they will have to intervene in a direct way. The show allowed you to see the intervention with the moment they allowed the white light to hit Laura’s eyes as she implored Hakeem back who was bathed in red. The message was clear.

God’s voice will not be silenced.

Andre begins the meetings with his label’s artists. It’s as if he’s interviewing them for jobs: “Who are your hip-hop inspirations?” “What is one thing about hip-hop that you would change if you could?” He really isn’t cut out for this label, but when chatting with Becky’s lover J-Poppa, church boy is given a little hope. J-Poppa is a PK (preacher’s kid), or, rather, ‘a preacher’s grandkid’. “Poppa” is an homage to his grandad and the “J” is the initial of his first name, Job — as in the Bible book, not work. After trading Bible verses, the two agree to gamble with incorporating God into J-Poppa’s raps. J Poppa performs at Leviticus and delivers bible references in the midst of hedonism.

Watch the clip that has Andre silenced as he is faced with the truth.

An interesting point that I noticed is the fact that Luscious’ night club is named Leviticus. Leviticus is the third book of the Hebrew Bible, and the third of five books of the Torah. Leviticus focuses on the sacrifices of priests to God to save the people. The ritual of the holy sacrifices is not a series of actions undertaken for their own sake, but a means of maintaining the relationship between God, the world, and humankind.